UK Trading Standards guidance virtual-staging disclosure
Trading Standards guidance says property photographs must not mislead and warns against doctoring images or using techniques that distort what a buyer will find.
- Applies to
- Property descriptions and photographs used by estate agents in the United Kingdom
- Status
- Explicit requirement
- Last verified
- 2026-08-09
- Next review
- 2026-11-09
What the source says
Trading Standards guidance says property photographs must not mislead and warns against doctoring images or using techniques that distort what a buyer will find.
Read the primary source: Property descriptions and photographs
Disclosure wording
No virtual-staging-specific wording is prescribed in this guidance.
Edits the source prohibits or limits
- Doctoring a photograph so it misleads
- Using image techniques that materially distort the property
Stylst practical guidance—not policy
Label virtual staging prominently, show the unaltered version, and avoid changing condition, dimensions, views, fixtures, or surroundings.
Agent checklist
- Open the primary source and confirm it has not changed.
- Check the state, MLS, brokerage, and destination portal; follow the strictest applicable rule.
- Label each altered image and retain the unaltered original.
- Do not alter permanent features, condition, dimensions, views, or surroundings.
- Save evidence of the rule and your original image with the listing file.
Corrections
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